Oh, Education
An Histoire and an Hommage
Oh, Education, thou mysterious brew, who has passed through the ages as a magic potion of dubious repute, lending hope and despair in equal measure. Allow me to chronicle your checkered history…
First came the Dark Age when your elixir was but a rare and hidden concoction. The rich dabbled in you, stirring their minds in cauldrons of whimsy, while the rest wandered in intellectual famine. They tasted you like forbidden wine, intoxicating but aimless.
Then a Glimmer of Light shone upon the aristocratic minds, and the elite became enchanted with your flavor. Schools and universities sprang forth like exotic taverns, though still, no one quite knew why they drank from your well. It was the quenching of thirst for the sake of thirst, a hobby rather than a necessity.
But lo, the Enlightenment dawned, and a few noble souls saw more in you than mere novelty. They declared, “Let this not be the beverage of mere idleness!” Schools were thrown open to the thirsty masses, scholarships poured forth like wine at a feast, and yet, the connection between you, the potion, and prosperity remained a serendipitous mystery.
In the Light Age, you were no longer an optional aperitif but a mandatory brew. Everyone sipped, gulped, and sometimes overdosed on you. Degrees, masters, and doctorates were mixed and remixed like cocktails during happy hour at a mad scientist’s bar. And still, the belief in your magic persisted, a faith rather than a fact. Your potion, once the elixir of success, now merely a part of the daily diet, sometimes indigestible.
But alas, the Darkening set in. Doubt clouded your mystical essence. Was this potion a cure or a curse? The rich concocted new blends, while the masses clung to the old. The aroma of ignorance began to waft through the air. You were both villain and savior, blamed for the shadows and worshiped as the sole saving light.
And thus, we find ourselves on the cusp of a Dark Age once again. Your brew has turned bitter to some, sweet to others, and confounding to all.
Oh, Education, what are you? A potion, a poison, a panacea? You tantalize and elude, bless, and bewilder. You are the ever-turning wheel, the eternal cycle, the rise and fall of wisdom and folly.
So, here’s to you, Oh, Education, with a clink of glasses and a wink. May you continue to bemuse us with your magical, mystical, and ever-mysterious brew.
And may we never quite understand why we can’t resist another sip…
